Thiruchendur
or Thirucheer alaivai, a holy place near
Thirunelveli, in Tamilnadu - South India, houses one of the most sacred
temples of Lord Muruga and is the second
Aarupadai Veedu
.
Saint poet Nakkerar, in his songs in praise of
Lord Senthil Andavar, places Thiruchendur in the second place amongst
the six battle places (
Arupadaiveedu
) that Lord Muruga has fought to win over evil.

A few Murugan devotees do consider that Marudamalai
Murugan temple also deserves to be mentioned as one additional Padai Veedu.

The various names of the presiding deity include Senthil Andavar, Shanmugar and Arumuga Nayinar.

Legends/Puranas and Mythology

This holy shrine of Lord Muruga has been sung by various poets like
Arunagiri Nathar and Kumara Guruparar.
References to this place, are available as Senthil in Purananooru and Alaivai
in Againanooru. The ancient sangam age literary work
Silappathigaram
hails Tiruchendur as "Kandavel Koil kondulla thalam" (Murgan's abode).

Tiruchendur has also been known by other names such as Tirucheer Alaivai,
Senthil Jayanthi, Kanda Madana Parvatham, Veeravaghupattinam and Vyazha kshethram.
The name Vyazha Kshethram comes after the worship by Vyazha bhagavan or Jupiter God
at this shrine.

Legend has it that Lord Senthil Andavar fought a battle to win over the demon
Soorapadhman (commonly referred to as the Soorasamharam) and his army, on the
seashore at Tiruchendur. While all other temples of Arupadaiveedu are located
on hilltops, Tiruchendur Murugan temple is the only shrine located on seashore.

It was ordained by lord Shiva, to whom Lord Arumugan is born, that Skanda would
triumph over the evil prevailing in the form of demon Soorapadhman. Murugan camped
on the seashores of Tiruchendur and won the battle against Soorapadman (Surapaduman).
The battle of Soora samharam is depicted very well through paintings that adorn the
walls of Skanda at Tiruchendur.

The battle was fought to kill the arrogance and ego of the demon who thought that he
was invincible. Soorapaduman is known to have taken many forms during the battle to
deceit the Murugan. At the end of the battle, Soorapadhman is torn into two pieces
from which emerges the Seval or Cock, which became the flag of the Kandan, the other
piece becoming the peacock or Mayil, which become his vehicle or vahanam. Lord Senthil
Andavar is believed to have worshipped lord Shiva at the temple built by Mayan, the
sculptor of the Devas, before and after the battle. Thus was born the mayilvahanam and
the name of Mayil Vahanan for Muruga himself.

With exclusive coverage on each temple reverred to as arupadai veedu,
the CD-ROM/ VCD is a must buy for all those who wish to explore the temples,
legends associated, holy waters associated with the temples, various festivals
and other important details which may not be available elsewhere.

Near Tirunelveli in Tamilnadu in South India Tiruchendur Murugan temple is located along
the seashore.

The Rajagopuram of the temple, renovated in the 1930's, is a towering structure,
visible to the sailors and fishermen, from several miles away. Measuring to a height
of over 130 feet, the majestic gopuram is made up of nine tiers. Several legends are
embedded in the icons that glorify the temple tower. One notable mythology is that
of the churning of the ocean by the Devas (Sura) on one side and the Asuras (Demons) on
the other side, using the Kali python as the rope. The episode is known as "Kali Manthan"
in Hindi and points to the extraction of the Amritham that is nectar, which prevents death.
This episode is normally overlooked by the pilgrims. A close look up of this is exquisitely
video graphed in the CD ROM titled
Arupadaiveedu - A Multimedia ecstasy
a CD ROM / VCD on Muruga by
Cybervalley Systems,
India (http://www.cybervalleysystems.com).

Thundukai Vinayagar, the lord who destroys all obstacles, has a sanctum on the approach
path to the temple of Skanda. It is widely followed that Lord Muruga with his Vel or lance,
created a never drying rivulet that flows with water now called as Nazhi Kinaru. Muruga
Bakthas cleanse themselves in the Skanda Pushkarini before entering the sanctum sanctorium
of the Tiruchendur Murugan Temple. Vasantha Mandapam is a living testimony to the architecture
of the designers.

The valli gugai or Valli cave in the premises nearby houses the sannithi for Valli, Murugan's
consort and for Lord Dattathreya. Entering the Murugan temple through the Shanmuga Vilasa
mandapam, one gets enchanted by the 124 pillars that stand as testimony to the architecture
and craftsmanship that prevailed then.

One gets enthralled by the sculptures of Shanmugar (Shanmuka), Subrahmanyar, Natarajar and
Ganapathi, each carved out from a single rock. Sivili mandapam can be reached in the second
ring or "praharam" with access to the Kanda Madana Parvatham - a rock carving housing the lord
of seven hills - Venkatachalapathi. Idols of the 63 nayanmars, Valli, Deivayani and Karaikala
Ammaiyar take us to the mythological past. There is a special depiction of Lord Murugan's
battle with Surapadman, which shows Lord Muruga piercing the demon Surapadman with his lance.

The moolavar at Tiruchendur has four arms holding a rudhraksha malai and his lance or
Vel, noticeably missing, as he is known to be worshipping Shiva Lingam.

Holy water tank is Saravana Theertham (Nazhi Kinaru)

History of the Temple

The Pandiya kings who ruled Madurai and greatly patronized the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple,
are known to have contributed to the Temple construction at Tiruchendur. The dynasty that
served includes Ugira Pandiyan, Marravarman and Vikrama Pandian. The heirs of Veerapandiya Kattobomman
worshipped at the Tiruchendur Shanmugar swamy sannithi, the sanctum that is still available as evidence.

It is widely believed that temple's history includes an episode with the Dutch sometime in
the 17th century. The icon of Lord Murugan, worshipped at Tiruchendur, over several centuries
was carried away by the Dutch who were sailing back. Thunder and storm lead the Dutch to
jettison the idol in the sea. Later, a dream that appeared to one of the local Muruga
bakthar triggered the search for the idol, which was then recovered and restored. The
pictures in the Tiruchendur temple walls also depict Lord Skandavel being worshipped by the
local Collector Washington, one of the European leaders during the foreign rule in India.
He generously donated silver to the temple.

The King of Tiruvankoor Samasthanam, Maharaja Marthandavarma of Travancore was an ardent
devotee who donated greatly in kind and cash to this Murugan temple at Tiruchendur.
He patronized this Senthil Andavar shrine and instituted the "Ettukala Pujai".

Temple timings & Festivals

Daily pujas to the deities are performed six times a day (six kalams). Forenoon : Ushat Kalam, Kalasandhi and Uchikala poojas are performed in the and the afternoon poojas commencing from Sayaratchai and Rendam kalam are concluded with Arthajama pooja in the night.

Thai pusam or Thai Poosam and Panguni Uthiram are celebrated with grandeur.
Falling on the day of Poosam star, during the month of Thai - sometime during
the end of January, Thai Pusam, is a Murugan festival celebrated all over the
world. Notable is the festival at Patu caves in Kuala Lumpur where over one
million Muruga Bakthar visit the shrine for Thai Pusam.

The battle of Lord Muruga with Soorapadman is enacted to the fervor of the Muruga Bakthas in
the Tamil month of Masi at Tiruchendur ending with the marriage of Lord Murugan
with Deivayanai (Devanai).

Many of those who migrated
away from India, be it the early settlers in South Africa or
the tech-savvy migrants to US - the first generation who have
Lord Murugan in their hearts find it difficult to pass on this
spiritual shield to their children who grow up in alien lands.

This CD exquisitely brings
to life the pujas and certain utsavams of Lord Karthikeya -
To illustrate a few shots...
- the ther (Temple chariot) utsavam of Thiruparamkundram Murugan;
- the Unjal ( Swing) sevai of Tirutchendur Murugan ;
- the Abishekam of Palamuthircholai Murugan or
- the golden chariot of Palani
- are some such scenes that leave a permanent impression in
one's mind.

Peace and tranquility are
the possible benefits of viewing the CD contents - be it in
a group during small functions or alone- in solitude in the
background of darkness. For kids- it will be as much fun as
watching the cartoons - if only the parents take time to explain
the CD contents to their kids with some interest.